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Pope Léon XIV Shrugs Off Trump Broadside as He Begins Algeria Visit

The confrontation highlights an unusual break in respect between the White House and the papacy.

Léon XIV en visite en Algérie. [Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP]
Image
Un vendeur tient un tissu à l'effigie du pape Léon XIV devant la basilique Marie Reine des Apôtres à Yaoundé, le 12 avril 2026, avant sa visite au Cameroun
Une affiche annonçant la visite du pape Léon XIV sur la façade d'une église à Yaoundé, le 8 avril 2026 au Cameroun

Overview

  • Trump, who lashed out Sunday night on Truth Social and to reporters, called the pope weak on crime and foreign policy and posted an AI image that cast himself in a Christ-like role.
  • Flying to Algiers on Monday, Léon XIV said he would not enter a debate with the president, said he was not afraid of the administration, and restated his call to promote peace.
  • Léon XIV arrived in Algeria on Monday, where President Abdelmadjid Tebboune greeted him at the start of the first papal visit to the country and the opening leg of a broader African tour focused on reconciliation.
  • The exchange followed the pope’s forceful weekend appeal against war and his criticism of the U.S.-Israeli campaign in Iran, and reporters noted no immediate formal response from the Vatican.
  • Trump’s use of AI religious imagery to amplify a political attack is rare for a sitting U.S. leader and could deepen tensions across religious and political lines as the Iran conflict escalates.